Egypt's foreign debt jumped 40.8 percent year-on-year to $67.32 billion in December, Central Bank figures showed. Egypt has been negotiating billions of dollars in aid from various lenders to help revive an economy hit by political upheaval since a 2011 revolt, and to ease a dollar shortage that has crippled imports and drove away foreign investors.
Egypt has received the first tranche of a three-year $12 billion loan deal with the IMF and is expecting to receive the second tranche soon. The second tranche of a $3 billion loan from the World Bank was disbursed to Egypt last month. The central bank said domestic debt rose 28.9 percent to $3.05 billion.